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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177503">King's Chosen</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/exorarepairings/pseuds/exorarepairings'>exorarepairings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, descriptions of violence, mentions of sexual abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:22:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/exorarepairings/pseuds/exorarepairings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Release Yifan of House Wu or the King’s Chosen suffers the consequences.</i>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Kim Junmyeon | Suho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>EXO Rare Pairing Fest Round Two</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>PART I</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chapter I</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon did not so much as glance Minseok’s way. The stack of scrolls on the table in front of him seemed never-dwindling, which was rather dismaying when he had foregone lunch in favour of seeing them dealt with. He had maybe an hour left before – </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Chosen is missing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand stilled above the parchment, but he paid no heed to the ink from the pen slowly seeping through to the wood underneath. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone took him, Junmyeon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shadows have been banished to the edges of the room by the lone candle sitting on the table in front of him. Next to it is a pitcher with wine, half of its contents gone. There is little else he would rather do right at this very moment than consume what remains and send a servant for more until it grants him the blessed inebriation it promises – but he can’t. He knows he can’t. However much he would rather not face the world, he must resist the sweet temptation and remain sober.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Already he is at war with himself, hatred swelling behind his ribcage at all the things he could have done but did not: He could have sent Jongdae sooner; he could have gone himself; he could have assigned guards to protect Baekhyun; he could – </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could have done many things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The least he can do </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>owes</span>
  </em>
  <span> it to Baekhyun, is make certain he is clear-headed upon Baekhyun’s return to the palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden impulse rushes through him, an urge to seize the pitcher and throw it against the nearest wall to hear it break into pieces, but he reins himself in before his hands can do much more in his lap than twitch. He is no child. He must deal with the situation as an adult.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the king he is meant to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He catches murmurs from behind the closed doors, but he doesn’t strain his ears to truly </span>
  <em>
    <span>listen</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He gave the servants firm orders to deny anyone access to his chambers this evening, and he knows they will obey his command. However, there are three individuals who could overrule his orders, and of those three…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sire, Her Heavenly Grace, Queen Gahyeon, is here to see you,” Dokyun, his head servant, announces, his voice carrying clear if a bit muffled due to the paper-thin walls between Junmyeon’s study and the waiting room. He hears the doors slide open, but does not look away from the pitcher.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Junmyeon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gives no visible reaction to hearing his queen’s call of his name, but she knows he has heard her, and he listens to the soft footfalls and the hem of her clothes brushing across the floor as she approaches him. A hand falls onto his shoulder, there for only a fraction of time before she rounds the table and elegantly sinks into the seat opposite him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon is righteous and intelligent, a better woman than he had dared hope for to rule alongside him. She will never have his heart, but that doesn’t bother her and never has. He is struck with, not for the first time nor the last, how fortunate he is to have her as a friend and confidante. His own parents were not particularly friendly with each other from what he can remember of the time when they were both alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She is taking him in, her gaze wandering down his face with a shimmer of concern in her dark eyes. He stares back silently. He knows he looks sickly; he </span>
  <em>
    <span>feels </span>
  </em>
  <span>sickly. A frown mars her forehead (before their wedding her skin had been perfectly smooth, but now she is starting to show signs of worry wrinkles).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, having seen enough, she asks, “How are you faring?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stare falls to the pitcher of wine once more and he gives a one-shouldered shrug. “Truly, I suppose I am faring about as well as one would in my position.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wets her lip, silent for a moment as she considers her words. Junmyeon almost smiles; Gahyeon has never been afraid to speak her mind around him, which is a trait he has always loved and one of the reasons he chose her. “They will find him, Junmyeon. They will bring him home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates</span>
  </em>
  <span> himself for thinking, </span>
  <em>
    <span>What if they bring home a corpse?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am concerned for you,” she says quietly when he offers nothing more than a grimace. The images of Baekhyun’s corpse threaten to fester in his mind, and he desperately needs them </span>
  <em>
    <span>not to</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “You went behind everyone’s back and allowed an assassin to go free. He may come back for your life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” says Junmyeon. “You would have done the same in my position.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She purses her lips, but allows a dip of her head. “You know I am not accusing you of making the wrong decision.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows that. Gahyeon had supported him fully and been by his side when he announced his decision to his ministers. She had helped quieten their protests, and afterwards she had helped empty the parts of the palace needed to ascertain Yifan’s quiet departure. The rumours would spread to the farthest edges of the kingdom soon enough, but Junmyeon wants to bide time before he announces to his citizens his decision to release Yifan in exchange for Baekhyun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must be careful,” Gahyeon says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles. It feels a little hollow, a little wrong, but he does it because he thinks it will soothe her heart. If not much, then some, and some is enough. “I will be, Gahyeon. I am always careful.”</span>
</p><p><span>She gives another little nod, and apparently also she is finding it hard to resist the siren song of the wine, because she leans forward and grabs the pitcher. She offers a wry smile, a drier yet, </span><em><span>For our sleep</span></em><span>,</span> <span>and lifts the pitcher to her lips. She swallows a mouthful, two, three, and puts it back down on the table, wherafter she daintily folds her hands in her lap where they are almost swallowed up by the layers of fabrics. She is only half a head shorter than Junmyeon, yet her clothes have always made her seem smaller. Junmyeon guesses he might be the only one to think so.</span></p><p>
  <span>“They will bring him back before midnight,” she says, sounding so very sure of herself and Jongdae and the young Zitao he left with. He doesn’t have an answer for that (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he knows they will be back, but what if his beloved is reduced to nothing more than a corpse?</span>
  </em>
  <span>), which she takes in stride. “Do you want me to stay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t even need to give it any consideration, and because she knows him, neither does she need an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she stays, and he waits.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was little left of the house Baekhyun resided in with his parents and younger sister but ashes after the abductors had paid their visit. His family had survived, thankfully, because they had been at the market when the thugs came for Baekhyun. Only an hour later and Baekhyun would have been picked up by Jongdae to meet with Junmyeon at the palace, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if just Junmyeon had sent Jongdae sooner –</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t have mattered, and Junmyeon had been told so enough times by Minseok and Kyungsoo and everyone else that he might eventually, some day, start to believe them. The thugs had to have planned the abduction of Baekhyun for a while according to the guards Junmyeon approached, so if Jongdae had caught them red-handed, not even his quick wit and Gift could have saved him from their daggers and Fires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The following morning, after a sleepless night of arguing with Minseok and worrying himself to tears, a ransom note was brought to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Release Yifan of House Wu or the King’s Chosen suffers the consequences.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You have until dawn tomorrow to make a decision.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A messenger will be by the docks awaiting your answer.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok had, justifiably, been vehemently against it and had argued his case with Kyungsoo and Jongdae backing him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That man almost killed you, Junmyeon!” he said as he paced a hole in the floor of Junmyeon’s private study. “We cannot allow him to just walk away unscathed! He is sentenced </span>
  <em>
    <span>to death</span>
  </em>
  <span>. A man like him will come back for you. Please, Junmyeon, I beg of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will protect me as you always have,” Junmyeon replied. He sighed. “What other choice do I have, Minseok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is always a choice,” Jongdae said, but he was the one amongst them most inclined to support Junmyeon’s decision even if it went against his vow to protect Junmyeon with his life. He had never expressed it, but Junmyeon </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span>, could see it in his eyes, that he blamed himself for Baekhyun’s abduction. Junmyeon hadn’t gotten around to assuage those concerns yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he conceded, “but I cannot choose the option that will save my life but damn his. There will be other assassins and they will care naught of Wu’s fate. But someone else cannot take Baekhyun’s place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kyungsoo cleared his throat, “With all due respect, Sire –”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This early in the morning after a sleepless night and in the presence of his bodyguards and friends, Junmyeon had little left for decorum. “Heavens, I abhor that phrase.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sire,” Kyungsoo said, tactfully disregarding Junmyeon’s muttering, “you shouldn’t give in to their demands. You are releasing a traitor to the crown, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, after he almost murdered you. I implore you, Your Grace. We can rescue Baekhyun without bowing to their will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we?” Junmyeon asked, eyes hard as he looked between them. “They have everything to gain by offering me this exchange, but they have little to lose should I reject it. I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to lose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They want Wu alive,” Minseok interjected, and to Junmyeon it was obvious that even </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was grasping at straws, “so surely that means we have some leeway. His mother could be behind Baekhyun’s abduction. Her </span>
  <em>
    <span>only son</span>
  </em>
  <span> is facing execution –”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does it matter?” Junmyeon demanded. “It is distinctly possible that Kuaihua organised this entire scheme – but what does that change? She wants her son, and to get him back, she is threatening me with Baekhyun’s life. I cannot afford to say no. She is a cruel woman, and if I refuse her terms, she will find another way of getting her son back.” His voice trembled (</span>
  <em>
    <span>his body shook</span>
  </em>
  <span>) when he said in a broken whisper, “And then I can only hope to find Baekhyun’s corpse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sire,” Minseok said, but Junmyeon held up a hand and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will discuss this no further. You will carry out my orders, or I will find someone who will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so Minseok had delivered the letter to the messenger at the docks. Wonshik had sent a tail after the guy, but his men had lost him after an hour. Instead they could only wait for the abductors (many hands pointed to Kuaihua as the culprit, but the Wu household had heaps of loyal-to-a-fault servants who could also have staged the abduction, and still there were Wu’s friends and supporters to take into consideration) to give Junmyeon new instructions, which they did the next day in much the same fashion as the first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the addition of a tuft of hair matted with blood and tied together with a red ribbon. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>On the eve of New Moon, you will escort Wu to the clearing in the Falcon Woods.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Here we will make the exchange, Wu for the King’s Chosen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Only </span>
  </em>
  <span>one</span>
  <em>
    <span> person is to accompany Wu to the rendezvous point. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Failure to meet our terms will seal the fate of the King’s Chosen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae had begged Junmyeon to grant Jongdae, who had been chosen to carry out the exchange whilst Kyungsoo (and Minseok, in his own way) stayed behind to protect Junmyeon, permission to bring someone to shadow the criminals after the exchange. Junmyeon had allowed it, but only after the three of them had convinced him that Zitao of the Secret Guard (despite having less than a year’s experience) and his Gift would be able to stay undetected no matter what tricks the thugs had up their sleeves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon would never forgive any of them if they compromised Baekhyun’s life, but they knew this, and Junmyeon trusted them more than anyone in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It still made waiting no easier. Left with no choice but to trust the words of traitors, he could only wish Jongdae (and Zitao, albeit Zitao had made sure to vanish from sight before they went to get Yifan) good luck as they left that new moon afternoon, five days after Baekhyun’s kidnapping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Chosen will be your downfall,” Yifan said, standing tall next to Jongdae despite the chains dragging his limbs down and slowing his movement. There was a sombre gleam in his eyes even as Jongdae glared at him for speaking up – and with such an ominous threat, at that. “He is your weakness, and that weakness will be preyed upon until one of you is dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon’s hands twitched, but he fought down the urge to lift them to his abdomen and instead met Yifan’s eyes unflinchingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok, standing by Junmyeon’s side, took a menacing step towards Yifan. “Quiet, or I will run you through,” he growled, his fingers hovering dangerously at the hilt of his sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yifan merely smirked and allowed Jongdae to take him away without saying another word – not that he needed to. Everyone present knew no one could lift a finger towards Yifan for fear of Baekhyun suffering the consequences.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They will be back,” Minseok said as they watched the duo grow smaller and smaller until they were out of sight. “And Baekhyun will be with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon had to believe that. There was little else he could do. “I will be waiting in my quarters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needed time alone.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon is a silent support for Junmyeon, who hasn’t slept well at night since Baekhyun disappeared. It is past midnight, he’s certain, and he’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he has to stay awake (he doubts he could even fall asleep if he tried, or if he did, he would wake up soon enough with a cry stuck in his throat) until Baekhyun returns. He has to see him, has to know if he’s all right, has to be there for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(If Jongdae brings back a corpse, someone is going to have to stop Junmyeon from chasing down Yifan and his fellow traitors in a suicidal rage.)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The candle has almost burned all the way down. It will extinguish itself in the next hour, and then there will be only darkness and silence left. Gahyeon’s hands cradling his keep him together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wine still tempts him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Outside, murmured voices reach his ears, and hope flares </span>
  <em>
    <span>bright </span>
  </em>
  <span>in his chest, to the point of being painful, only to fizzle out when he recognises the voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors slide open once more to admit – “Her Divine Grace, Dowager Queen Hyoson, Sire,” Dokyun announces, and the doors close between him and Junmyeon’s grandmother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gahyeon gets up to pay her respect to the dowager queen (she has sat in the same lotus position for </span>
  <em>
    <span>hours</span>
  </em>
  <span>; she must hurt, but her face betrays nothing of the sort) while Junmyeon remains in his spot. His grandmother is strict, that may be true, but never so strict as to punish her only grandchild for something so trivial. Chastises, perhaps, but Junmyeon cannot find in himself the will to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He listens to his grandmother's approach and watches with dull eyes as Gahyeon sinks back into the lotus, her face neutrally polite as Hyoson comes around the table so she can get a look at Junmyeon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes him in, much like Gahyeon had done hours (days? It feels like days, like several eternities of waiting waiting </span>
  <em>
    <span>waiting</span>
  </em>
  <span>) earlier, pursing her lips and shaking her head. “Junmyeon, child, you must not forget your own health even in light of what is happening around you. You must be strong where others falter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” he says, but he is not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyoson looks at him in silence for a while, and then releases a sigh. She clasps his shoulder tenderly. “Your boy will be fine, Junmyeon. Have faith in his determination to return to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence reigns once more, and the flame flickers.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It isn’t that he fears death, per se. It is, after all, the one thing in life that is certain: To be granted the chance at life, one must also eventually die. As a king, the odds that he will take his last breaths staring into the eyes of an assassin or vomiting as he convulses on the floor as poison steals away his life are distinctly higher than if he were born common. The commoners have other concerns, certainly, but as it stands, he knows that his last moments in this world will probably be agony. Few kings pass peacefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His own father eventually gave up the fight against the disease that had taken root in his lungs and spread from there. In the end, worn down and barely more than a shell of himself, he had succumbed to death, at ease at last, and the kingdom had mourned the loss but celebrated the coronation of a new king, Junmyeon sitting for the first time in his father’s throne at the age of twenty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was three years ago, and now Junmyeon wonders if he will live past twenty-four.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The candle is burning its last by the time a disturbance outside garners their attention. Gahyeon sits up straight as they both turn to look towards the doors just as they slide open to admit Minseok. It cannot be more than a few minutes since Hyoson left for bed (Junmyeon had interpreted the look in her eyes as she gave them a glance, but the words, “You should do the same,” never passed her lips).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok only gets to say, “Jongdae got him,” before Junmyeon is getting up – and stumbling due to vertigo, black spots dotting his sight, Gahyeon’s hand around his elbow probably the only thing keeping him upright. He blinks the spots away and marches straight up to Minseok.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Where?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he gets out, and if he sounds anguished, desperate, he doesn’t care. Baekhyun isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Minseok’s announcement was too evasive, which Junmyeon takes to mean that Jongdae did indeed find Baekhyun, but not that Baekhyun </span>
  <em>
    <span>is well</span>
  </em>
  <span>, or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive </span>
  </em>
  <span>– </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jongdae took him straight to see Yixing,” Minseok says softly, and Junmyeon’s heart sinks into his gut as he pushes past Minseok, past Dokyun and a handful of worried servants and a stone-faced Kyungsoo. He is practically running by the time he reaches the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing has his quarters not far from Junmyeon’s own, and Junmyeon cannot remember a time where he has ever been more grateful for that than he is now. It takes him less than two minutes to reach the doors to Yixing’s quarters, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Baekhyun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Minseok, who has caught up, pulls him back before he can open the doors. Junmyeon, if Minseok hadn’t physically seized him by the arms, would have punched him in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Release me,” he demands, orders, </span>
  <em>
    <span>begs</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Minseok refuses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yixing must not be disturbed, Sire,” he says, and although he sounds apologetic, the reason Junmyeon isn’t yet reduced to biting and scratching to get out of Minseok’s hold and open the doors is the memory of his father’s disapproving face. “Baekhyun’s life is in his capable hands now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jumyeon’s ears ring and he chokes the first time he tries to speak, but eventually manages to say, “His </span>
  <em>
    <span>life</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok’s mouth purses, and Junmyeon sees the war wage behind his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was… hurt when Jongdae found him,” Minseok divulges, but that isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Junmyeon strains in Minseok’s hold, but Minseok has always been stronger than him, and even Junmyeon’s most desperate attempts are foiled by Minseok’s years of training. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His teachers’ (and Minseok’s) drillings on decorum and posture are completely forgotten when he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>this close </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Baekhyun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Junmyeon, please,” Minseok says, easily drawing back from Junmyeon’s teeth while somehow still maintaining his restricting grip on Junmyeon. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>must </span>
  </em>
  <span>stay out of the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me,” Junmyeon demands, briefly giving up the fight so he can pin Minseok with the nastiest glare he can muster. “How hurt is he? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tell me</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he nearly shouts when Minseok </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> hesitates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They tortured him,” Minseok admits, sounding pained himself, which is nothing to the way Junmyeon’s world starts to crumble. He feels faint, and Minseok’s hold in him changes from restraint to support as Junmyeon slumps in his arms. “Junmyeon!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They </span>
  <em>
    <span>tortured </span>
  </em>
  <span>him,” Junmyeon moans. “What for? </span>
  <em>
    <span>I released Wu as they asked!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yixing will save him, Junmyeon,” Minseok says, and he sounds a little desperate. “Yixing saved you, and he will save Baekhyun as well. There is nothing he cannot do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is a blatant lie, but one that Junmyeon refrains from pointing out (</span>
  <em>
    <span>if he does, he might jinx everything and Baekhyun will die</span>
  </em>
  <span>).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the Heavens, Junmyeon, when did you last sleep?” Minseok says as he hefts Junmyeon into his arms. Junmyeon would have felt ashamed if he hadn’t been this exhausted, hadn’t been wrecked with fear, hadn’t been – “Why haven’t you been taking care of yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How could I sleep when I knew Baekhyun was out there somewhere, being </span>
  <em>
    <span>tortured </span>
  </em>
  <span>by those </span>
  <em>
    <span>traitors</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Junmyeon says, brokenly. “How could I enjoy a full meal when Baekhyun could have been starving? How could I </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>worry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worrying yourself sick will do neither of you any good,” Minseok murmurs. Junmyeon realises while Minseok speaks that he’s taking them somewhere. It takes him a tellingly long time before it dawns on him that they’re heading back to his own quarters. But Baekhyun is not – “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Minseok says, and Junmyeon ceases his struggles. “The best thing you can do for Baekhyun right now is to get some rest. How do you think Baekhyun will feel if the first thing you do upon seeing him is collapse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon is desperate, but he has enough sense to see reason in Minseok’s words. “I will sleep,” he says, “but you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> wake me up the very moment I may see Baekhyun. Do I make myself clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.” The black dots are back, and Junmyeon is tired (</span>
  <em>
    <span>of fighting and worrying and fearing and hating –</span>
  </em>
  <span>) and allows the tendrils of darkness to pull him under.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t know for how long he sleeps, but when he blearily blinks his eyes open and looks up at Minseok’s frowning face, he knows it has been nowhere near long enough to satisfy Minseok. Still, Minseok always keeps his promises, even if he does not agree with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon does not run this time, but it is not far from it. They reach Yixing’s quarters and Junmyeon gives a single knock to alert the occupants of his presence before he slides the doors open and steps inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing hasn’t had time to clean up, which, at least, must mean that Minseok left to get Junmyeon the very moment Yixing had finished up (not that he had any doubt, but he still likes being confirmed every now and then in what he already knows to be certain). Junmyeon appreciates it, but he might have appreciated more not seeing the splatters of blood on Yixing’s clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His throat is dry, and he feels sick, but he greets Yixing and asks, “Where is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing takes them to one of the rooms, and Junmyeon stills in the doorway as he, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span>, lays his eyes on Baekhyun for the first time in almost a week: He will not be surprised if he finds grey hairs next time he dares look into a mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he cares naught for grey hairs when Baekhyn is here right in front of him. There are bandages covering his eyes, his head, his hands, small nicks and bluish or greenish bruises here and there appearing even starker against the pale complexion of Baekhyun’s normally sun-kissed skin; it is drawn and clammy now, which probably means Baekhyun has been held captive in a place without access to the sun this entire time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon commits the sight to memory, serving as a punishment to himself for being unable to protect him, but also so he knows exactly what Baekhyun suffered through when he gets his hands on the sad excuses for human beings who did this to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He approaches the bed slowly. A blanket hides most of Baekhyun’s body from his eyes, which… is good, he supposes. The yearning for revenge is tearing at him, but there is nothing he can do that he hasn’t already done or plans to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minseok,” he says. “I trust soldiers have already been sent out to scour the kingdom for Wu and his people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Sire. Captain Wonshik is leading the search.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon nods along and settles on the edge of Baekhyun’s bed. “Yixing,” he says, quietly. He longs to take Baekhyun’s hand in his, but he refrains from fear of doing more harm than good. They are both bandaged, but the one closest to Junmyeon is also splinted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing, needing no more prompting, comes to stand on the other side of Baekhyun as he speaks. And the more Yixing says, the sicker Junmyeon feels, the blood gradually draining from his face with every word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok mentioned </span>
  <em>
    <span>torture</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Junmyeon had firmly reined in his mind until he saw for himself just what had been done, but this –</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s back as well as the back of his thighs have several lashes (of which half are infected and would have caused undue pain) as a result of flogging, but due to bruised ribs Yixing decided against having him rest on his stomach. When he wakes up, Yixing says, they will figure out what causes Baekhyun least pain and take it from there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That aside, four of the five fingers on Baekhyun’s left hand are indeed broken, hence the splint. There is evidence of what Yixing assumes are several beatings. He believes Baekhyun has had little to nothing to eat in the time of captivity, because his body is clearly malnourished and he has lost significant weight. His temperature is high due to fever, which a lung infection is partially to blame for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He will survive, Your Grace,” Yixing says, finally, which is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>relief</span>
  </em>
  <span>, “but what they have done to him… I dare not say how that will affect him. You must be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about his eyes?” Minseok asks in Junmyeon’s stead. Junmyeon’s tongue is in knots, his ribcage threatens to crush his heart, and his eyes burn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing’s voice remains low as he says, “The left one will suffer no lasting damage, but he will essentially be blind on the right. I am sorry. It is the best that I could do. When he wakes up, I will be able to do a more thorough check.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok clears his throat and asks, “Will there still be an eye?” Junmyeon notices Minseok’s hesitant look towards him, but he says nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon watches the blanket rise and fall as Baekhyun breathes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Small mercies.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>On Minseok’s orders, Yixing gives Junmyeon a tonic to help him sleep for a few hours, but night terrors chase him into the darkness. He is unable to stop the men as they flog Baekhyun until his back is in bloodied tatters, cannot do anything but cry out as they shatter the bones in his body, can only watch and sob as they crowd around him and leer, can do </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing at all</span>
  </em>
  <span> as they carve out his eyes even as he screams, screams for Junmyeon </span>
  <em>
    <span>to do something, to please, please, please please please please help help –</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon wakes up, and his throat is hoarse, and he’s yelling, and he’s crying, and the servants and Jongdae crowding him make him </span>
  <em>
    <span>sick </span>
  </em>
  <span>and –</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he decides he shouldn’t try to sleep in his own quarters again.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It takes the servants, once Yixing has given his consent, less than an hour to transform a few of Yixing’s spare rooms (they are reserved for his patients, but his main priority is the royal family and the palace has another wing for physicians) into a study and a bedroom for Junmyeon to use while Baekhyun recovers. The bedroom is done on Minseok’s request; Junmyeon had only asked for a study so he could catch up on the responsibilities he has neglected (some of which he knows Gahyeon, blessings upon her, has seen to in his absence) while Baekhyun’s fate had still been in his tormentors’ hands. He had figured dozing at Baekhyun’s bedside when he needed a break would suffice, but he supposes he should have known better when Minseok spared him a single world-weary glance before calling a servant over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He appreciates, truly, the people around him for caring. This is not the first time he has disregarded his own health in favour of other, more important matters (Minseok never fails to roll his eyes when Junmyeon wakes up after a fainting spell and proceeds to defend his priorities to Minseok’s face, which makes Junmyeon laugh because Minseok is usually always so composed), and it won’t be the last despite everyone’s valiant efforts. He knows he has improved vastly since the first year of his reign, where it was a daily struggle trying to live up to his father’s name, but he is far from perfect, and as a result his loved ones worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spends the rest of the day by Baekhyun’s side. Minseok helps him sort through the documents he had a couple of servants fetch from Gahyeon and together they leaf through them. Minseok has a good head on his shoulders, and Junmyeon relies so much on him that he has nightmares about the day when Minseok will no longer be a constant in his life like he has been since Junmyeon became king. He sometimes has to rein in his mind to stop it from diving down the path of the many ways he could lose Minseok.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon knows he will have to face his ministers again tomorrow, so he spends a few hours with Minseok pouring over the documents before he calls for a break. He sends Dokyun to get one of his favourite books, one he knows Baekhyun enjoys as well, and once he has it, he settles on the chair by the bedside, turns to the first page, and begins to read.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing had said that Baekhyun had been too out of it when Jongdae (haggard but otherwise all right after the exchange; Junmyeon feels awful for not remembering to seek out Jongdae and see how he is faring) had appeared at Yixing’s quarters. Baekhyun had been lost in the throes of fever and pain, and by the time Jongdae had put him in the bed, he had mercifully slipped into unconsciousness. For how long he would remain asleep, Yixing could not say, so Junmyeon had armed himself with patience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yixing had told him that talking to Baekhyun could help alleviate the instinctual panic that would doubtlessly grip Baekhyun when he first woke up and met only darkness (the bandages would have to stay on for well into the next week), </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>realised he didn’t know where he was or where his tormentors were. Asleep he might be, but Junmyeon’s voice could potentially reach him still and calm him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if Yixing hadn’t specifically told him to use his voice while around Baekhyun, he would have done so regardless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hopes Baekhyun’s rest is without dreams, or at least that they are good and sweet. Baekhyun is finally safe, so it isn’t fair if his days of captivity haunts him still in the form of nightmares where he won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Privately, he hopes the sound of his voice can bring Baekhyun out of his slumber. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, he reads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He limits his meeting with the ministers to three hours from morning until noon where they can attend to the most pressing matters at hand. Afterwards, Gahyeon is there to handle the rest in Junmyeon’s stead while Junmyeon takes his work to Yixing’s quarters to be near Baekhyun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With Baekhyun safe in the bed next to him, if still asleep and recovering, the vortex of anxiety that had overwhelmed him upon the news of Baekhyun’s abduction has fizzled out into a more manageable state of worry. Yixing, Gifted from birth with Mother Nature’s Kiss and a Healing Touch, had been appointed to Junmyeon as his head physician just one year before Junmyeon ascended the throne, and since then he has saved Junmyeon’s life at least twice, with the most recent incident being Yifan’s attempt not five months ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There is no doubt in Junmyeon’s mind as to Yixing’s capabilities: Weak his Touch may be when faced with something that is not a wound, something that does not bleed, but then he has potent salves and tonics and other mixtures of herbs he Grew himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Yixing says Baekhyun will survive, Junmyeon trusts him. He lost a lot of blood during his captivity, but with bedrest and good nutrition he would be right as rain in a few weeks. Knowing this gives Junmyeon the peace of mind he needs to focus on ruling the kingdom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he prays Baekhyun wakes up soon. Yixing’s main concern had not been Baekhyun’s physical recovery, and Junmyeon is anxious to see just how Baekhyun will react to finding himself back at the palace and safe from his tormentors. Junmyeon knows – partially from having encountered victims of torture before, partially from having been at would-be assassins’ mercy himself – that Baekhyun will have scars that no eye can </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he has no way of knowing how </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>or how </span>
  <em>
    <span>substantial </span>
  </em>
  <span>they are until Baekhyun wakes up. For now, he can only imagine and fear, and pour himself into work to avoid losing himself to his own imagination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reads through the reports he brought along, pausing every now and then to note something down in his own documents or in the reports themselves. Time passes and evening rolls around. Minseok brings him food after he tried and failed to convince Junmyeon to join Gahyeon and Hyoson for dinner. Junmyeon instead convinces Minseok to have dinner with him in his temporary study. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minseok sticks around until Jongdae arrives to relieve Kyungsoo of duty. Junmyeon is reading for Baekhyun when Jongdae announces his presence with a rap on the door, and he glances up from the page long enough to offer Jongdae a nod. He is distantly aware of Jongdae beckoning Minseok outside, which leaves him alone with Baekhyun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finishes the chapter and closes the book in his lap quietly. His gaze settles heavy on Baekhyun, studying what is visible of his face before moving to his still-bandaged hands. He longs to hold them, but Yixing’s Gift does not extend to miraculously mending broken bones with nothing more than a Touch, albeit it does speed up the healing process substantially. For now, Junmyeon can stroke Baekhyun’s arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you awaken soon, my light?” he murmurs. “It has been too long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Baekhyun does not wake up, nor did Junmyeon expect him to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon feels the corners of his mouth pull up into a smile as he turns to look at Jongdae. “Jongdae. How are you faring? I hope you will forgive me for not inquiring sooner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand, Your Grace,” Jongdae says, eyes resting on Baekhyun for a spell before he looks at Junmyeon again. “I am well. How is Baekhyun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is recovering,” Junmyeon says quietly. “That is about all that I can say.” He narrows his eyes at Jongdae. “I am not letting you off the hook that easily. How </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>you, truly? Be honest with me, my friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae averts his eyes and shrugs. “My mind torments me with thoughts of what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>have done to avoid this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stares at Baekhyun, and with Junmyeon not saying anything, it does not take long before his composure finally gives way to frustration and regret. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I probably could not have stopped them, that I am alive now because I wasn’t there, but I still… I still think about it. I cannot help it. If I had gone earlier, I could at least have </span>
  <em>
    <span>been </span>
  </em>
  <span>there. I could have tried. If they were distracted by me, perhaps he could have escaped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon allows the ensuing silence to reign for only a short while before he says, “You must know that I would rather have both of you alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At what cost?” Jongdae asks, gesturing at Baekhyun with his hand. His face twists. “I… Junmyeon, when I arrived at the clearing for that damned exchange, he was hardly conscious. One of those barbarians had to carry him, and knowing I could do </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” He emits a small sound. “Heavens, I didn’t even know if they would go through with the exchange without doing more harm. My muscles hurt for hours because of the tension.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It is with some hesitation that Junmyeon says, “Tell me about it. I know from Minseok that Kuaihua was not there, but he still suspects she is pulling the strings; he never liked her, and I think he was a thorn in her eyes. It is not a far-fetched thought that she might be behind this. How many were waiting for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three,” Jongdae says. “Two others were hiding somewhere in the surrounding brush, so five in total. Dark, nondescript clothes. One of them was a Null, but I couldn’t tell which one of the five it was. Only two of the three spoke, and both were male. I had no way of telling the genders of the rest. In short, it is anyone’s guess who they were. I did not recognise them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A Null. It rang a bell, Minseok mentioning it in passing, but Junmyeon had probably been too busy worrying about Baekhyun to really register the gravity behind Minseok’s words. It is not overly surprising to learn that Yifan has dangerous allies. The presence of a Null in his close circles does not bode well, but at least it makes sense: If there had been no one to stop Jongdae, he would surely have burned every single one of Yifan’s goons, as well as Yifan himself, to crisps, and grabbed Baekhyun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yifan has never been stupid, however, and Junmyeon realises that Minseok will probably soon start to push the idea of more guards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There will be time to worry about that later, so instead he asks, “And Baekhyun? Did he say anything?” He tacks on before Jongdae can answer, “Both of you said he only fell unconscious later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say he was conscious before either. Awake, perhaps, but his mind was somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon falls quiet. He watches the rise and fall of Baekhyun’s chest for a while. A small part of him wants to know all the details about the exchange, but Minseok has already given him a report (probably straight from Jongdae himself), and he isn’t convinced he can stomach any grizzly details Minseok might have omitted for his sake. Knowing the extent of Baekhyun’s wounds is enough for now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead he asks, “Have you heard from Zitao?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae has moved closer to the wall and now leans against it, arms crossed. He shakes his head. “No. Not a word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon purses his lips. “Might they have caught him? With Wu’s Null…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt it,” Jongdae says; the corner of his lips even pulls up into a small self-satisfied smile. “A Null cannot sense another Null. I reckoned he would prove quite an asset should I spot an opportunity to detain Wu’s goons without risking any harm coming to Baekhyun, not to mention as general protection.” His smile turns sheepish. “You told us not to take any risks, and I promise you I would have never done anything if I had had even the slightest doubt. Regardless, we did not predict the presence of another Null, which effectively razed all potential ideas to the ground.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grimaces. “Having a Null tap into your Gifts is a horrible experience. It left me feeling hollow.” He shakes his head. “I digress. No, I have faith that Zitao will return with answers, once he has them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will take your word for it then,” Junmyeon says. He hums and tilts his head towards Jongdae, regarding him pensively. He knows Jongdae means what he says, that he would have never considered doing anything that could possibly have harmed Baekhyun, so instead of further remarks on that subject, he directs their talk to something else, if related. “I intend to assign a few guards to Baekhyun once he is able to leave this room. Might you have any suggestions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae wets his lips and looks thoughtful for a moment. “Have you heard of Chanyeol?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe so,” Junmyeon says. “Youngest son of Lord Park?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The very one. He is proving quite talented with any weapons thrown at him, particularly swords and bows, and he is Gifted with Fire. He volunteered for the Royal Guard a few years ago and has shown much dedication since. Professionalism aside, he is loyal and pleasant company.” Jongdae purses his mouth. “Baekhyun might benefit from having someone like him around. I imagine it will feel less like he’s being nannied and more like he has a friend or a puppy always nearby should he have need of it,” he says, not without a pointed look at Junmyeon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon raises an eyebrow. “Very true.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had thrown a tantrum when he was eight upon learning that he would have someone watching his every move from then on. As a child not even old enough to be left alone regardless, that fit of temper had been entirely uncalled for – but his eight-year-old self had been in the middle of a phase where he thought himself capable of everything, so to be told that </span>
  <em>
    <span>another </span>
  </em>
  <span>person would be assigned to him had stirred his emotions. As he got older, he came to care less about his shadows, knowing they were there to protect him should the need arise, and he still has his privacy when he so wishes; they will be close by, but not necessarily in the same room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In his adult life, he has been reminded of his childish behaviour so many times that he no longer feels embarrassment whenever someone – usually his guards or Minseok – decides, for whatever reason, to jog that particular memory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>a good point Jongdae makes, however. Junmyeon may have long since gotten accustomed to his bodyguards, but Baekhyun is not Junmyeon, even if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> been around royalty for a few years. He might not feel comfortable having someone always looking after him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So. Chanyeol,” Junmyeon says, humming. He glances at Baekhyun (still sleeping, chest rising and falling peacefully) before looking back at Jongdae. “Would you tell him I wish to see him sometime in the coming days when you get the chance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly,” Jongdae says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Do you have anyone else in mind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae emits a thoughtful sound. “I will need a day or two to consider, if I may.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have one in mind,” Junmyeon admits, smiling gently when Jongdae aims an inquisitive look at him. “You and Baekhyun were friends before I knew either of you. You are a powerful Gifted and I have seen you fight for yourself and for me on several occasions. If you were to become his guard, I would rest better at night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae looks at him in stunned silence, which, despite everything, Junmyeon cannot help but find amusing. Eventually, Jongdae finds his words and asks quietly, “Are you certain? I… I feel like I have let both of you down recently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite the opposite,” Junmyeon soothes. “I recognise the guilt on your shoulders, you must know. I blame myself for allowing this to happen in the first place.” He draws in a breath, grateful when Jongdae lets him put into words what has been on his mind since Baekhyun was caught without cutting him off with some nonsense about how he shouldn’t be feeling this way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have seen it coming: I should have known my love for him might endanger him. I should have assigned guards to him the moment I decided to let everyone know that he is my Chosen. I should have done a great number of things, but nothing can change what I did and did not do. I cannot allow the guilt to consume me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we can only look forward now, and learn from our past choices. Like me, you could not have known, and therefore I do not hold you responsible for </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>that happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae doesn’t seem to want to look at Junmyeon, his gaze sweeping around the room but never settling anywhere for long. “You know I like to pick him up earlier than the time agreed upon,” he murmurs, “and Baekhyun is usually all set when I get there even if I am early. But that day, I had errands to run. If I had finished them faster…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Errands I sent you on, if you remember,” Junmeyon says. “You are not to blame for that.” He tacks on, hoping Jongdae will recognise it as the jest it is meant to be, “Perhaps you are suggesting </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>am to blame?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae pulls an expression that does nothing good for his otherwise handsome face. “No. Never.” He sighs. “I am aware I shouldn’t beat myself up over this. It takes time to convince myself, however.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Junmyeon says. “I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, well. Say I am assigned to Baekhyun,” Jongdae says, “then who will protect </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” His brows pull into a frown. “Wu is most likely already back to scheming with his bitch of a mother.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae shares Minseok’s sentiment when it comes to Yifan’s mother: Kuaihua is a cunning woman whose thirst for power makes her dangerous. Her husband committed suicide in prison about eight years ago after being caught doing illegal trading, and as a result the Wu family lost some of its credibility. Kuaihua had been somewhat close with Junmyeon’s father, but after her husband’s arrest, she was no longer a frequent guest at the palace, albeit she retained her household and most of her privileges. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That household, however, was long gone by the time soldiers arrived in the immediate aftermath of Yifan’s attempt on Junmyeon’s life. No one heard a peep from any of the Wus until an observant knight unexpectedly stumbled upon someone who fit Yifan’s description in a small town far from the capital and detained him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuaihua remains unaccounted for, and Yifan had at no point during his short imprisonment mentioned her. Still, Junmyeon wonders if she would really allow Yifan another attempt at his life if she is behind his release: The Wu name has already been thoroughly tarnished, so even if it turns out she is an innocent in this complot, the most she can hope for is being allowed into a noble’s household as a servant or a nanny, and even that is unlikely as few nobles would want to be associated with the mother of a would-be king-killer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alas, the question of security. Junmyeon tuts. “Now you are being silly.” He gives a one-shouldered shrug. “I still have Kyungsoo and Hakyeon, and occasionally Taekwoon. We must not forget the rest of my Secret Guard and the palace guards. If anything happens, they will flock to protect me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leans forward in his seat, eyes not really focused on anything in particular as he says, “I intend for Baekhyun to stay with me for good after this, and I have started looking for a place for his family that is close by. With Baekhyun here at the palace, you will be around me often enough, so not much will change on that front. The one thing that </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> change is that you are to first and foremost protect </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not me. I do not care who is with me or who is not; Baekhyun will be your main concern, even if Wu himself has a knife to my throat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Junmyeon,” Jongdae says, the protest heavy in his gaze and tone of voice, but Junmyeon does not allow him the chance to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. If you accept my proposition to become Baekhyun’s guard, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> hold you responsible if anything happens to him when you’re supposed to protect him. I will not, however, blame you for leaving me to die, if that is what you must.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you allow me or Kyungsoo to pick my replacement, then…” Jongdae pulls another unbecoming expression. “You must understand that I am honoured to know that you would ever consider me capable of protecting Baekhyun. I just, frankly, do not fancy your terms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alas, that is what I require.” Junmyeon looks at him, fully aware of the responsibility he is placing on Jongdae’s shoulders. “Do you need time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae is quiet for a moment as he takes in the sight of Baekhyun on the bed. “No. No, I do not. I will protect him, Your Grace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon smiles and caresses Baekhyun’s arm. “I thought you would. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you will take into consideration my choices for my replacement, however,” Jongdae says. “Likewise, I assume you want one or two more guards for Baekhyun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon nods. “You and Chanyeol will be enough while Baekhyun is on bedrest, but in the future, when he has healed – yes, by then I want at least one more to relieve you and Chanyeol of duty when necessary. I will not run you ragged by having you work twelve hours each and every day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is rare that I think of my duty to you as </span>
  <em>
    <span>work</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even if being here means I am on high alert and ready to drag you to safety,” Jongdae says, with just the right dose of cheek to make Junmyeon break into a smile. “I am always on guard even if I see you off-duty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon tuts. “You and Minseok both work too hard,” he says, and ignores Jongdae’s rather pointed raised brow. “Your duty to me takes you away from your wife and daughter for hours at a time while Minseok has never shown an interest in finding someone to settle down with. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> are missing out on your daughter’s infant years because of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not by your side every hour of the day,” Jongdae says, laughing. “I have ample time at home with them, and while I love them, I am also devoted to you and your protection.” He nods his head at Baekhyun. “And his.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head and looks at Junmyeon again with a smile. “I am not missing out on anything. I would rather say I am living my best life yet, with all the joys and sorrows it brings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserve a good life, Jongdae,” Junmyeon says. Jongdae must sense the earnestness behind Junmyeon’s words, because he looks down and shuffles his feet. “I just wish Minseok would soon get to experience the same happiness you have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minseok is a no-nonsense kind of guy,” Jongdae says. He grins. “He is so dedicated to you that any spouse he chooses will have to settle with being second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Junmyeon frowns. “I should hope not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jongdae laughs, and then gives a little shrug. “When the day comes that someone sweeps him off his feet, I do believe he will devote his entire being to them. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does, and I doubt that is going to change when he finds someone to love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He does, doesn’t he.” Junmyeon shakes his head and chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Baekhyun still sleeps. Junmyeon hopes their voices soothe him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chapter II</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the days following Yifan’s attempt on his life, he would often startle awake in the middle of the night with his heart in his throat, torn from sleep by the memories that oftentimes twisted into something far from reality. Baekhyun, who had stayed with him at the palace an entire month after the incident, had always been asleep by his side. Baekhyun’s presence used to be enough to calm him, being able to just scoot closer to Baekhyun and allow his natural heat to wrap comfortingly around him and lull him back to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he wakes up this time, clutching at his chest, Baekhyun isn’t next to him, and, for a moment, he is fraught with unadulterated </span>
  <em>
    <span>fear</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The fear fizzles out soon enough, but leaves him in an unsettled state of mind even as he gets a hold of himself. He knows Baekhyun is </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the other room, and that Yifan, while still at large, will most likely not come for him in the foreseeable future. No, he knows now is not the time to strike, knows the time will not be for a while, not when they are on high alert after his release.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon remembers the assault vividly, remembers feeling absolutely helpless. Taught in self-defence he may be, but it has always been and will always be intellectual battles that attract him, not strenuous physical activities. Granted, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>rather fond of the bow, but that hardly matters when his assailant finds him late at night and proceeds to rouse him with a dagger to the gut. </span>
</p>
<p><span>As for his Gift, it is hardly a gift at all, the water he is able to manipulate not nearly enough to pose a threat to anyone who might attack him. At best, it is a somewhat entertaining trick at parties, nothing like Baekhyun’s graceful way of bending light to his will or Jongdae casually strolling into the midst of a storm to feel the </span><em><span>caress</span></em><span>, as he cheekily puts it,</span> <span>of a lightning strike. Still, Baekhyun’s Gift hardly holds a candle to Jongdae’s: Baekhyun wields Light easily, but in a fight for one’s life, it is Jongdae one has to look out for.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Yifan has always appeared Untouched, but Junmyeon has suspected the opposite is true ever since the assault, for how else could Yifan have appeared unnoticed in his bedroom? That, quite possibly, is what scares him most now that Yifan is out there somewhere with ill intentions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposes he should be grateful to find it isn’t entirely dark outside, as it means he at least slept through most of the night. Still feeling slightly off-kilter, he leaves the bed and makes his way to Baekhyun’s room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It calms his heart and soul to see Baekhyun sleeping soundly in the bed. He knows the fear of finding Baekhyun gone (or dead) is irrational, but after the fitful night he has had, he figures no one can blame him for making sure his beloved really is all right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He settles by Baekhyun’s bedside, relieved to find that Baekhyun’s fever seems to have broken overnight, and enjoys the peace for as long as it lasts, for the palace is bound to wake up sooner rather than later and Baekhyun’s family is arriving at noon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It is high time he summoned them to the palace to see their son and brother, even if he still sleeps.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bandages around Baekhyun’s right hand are removed the next day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It has healed well,” Yixing says, tracing with his finger the palm of Baekhyun’s hand. “Should you feel inclined to hold it, you should. No squeezing, however,” he adds with a pointed look towards Junmyeon, “or it will hurt him. Don’t touch the other hand: The bones will still take at least another week to heal, but two weeks would be safest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon gives a single nod of understanding and reaches for Baekhyun’s right hand. He absentmindedly caresses Baekhyun’s palm while Yixing busies himself with checking other injuries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing finishes up within the hour and makes to leave the room, stopping only to dip into a graceful bow as Gahyeon passes him in the doorway, Minseok right behind her. The doors slide closed behind Yixing, and Gahyeon settles on the other side of Junmyeon while Minseok dithers for a spell before he goes to stand by the wall at the foot of the bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gahyeon studies Baekhyun in silence for a while, fiddling with the fabric of her dress before settling her hands in her lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon, with a slight smile, says, “Yixing said we are allowed to hold his hand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gahyeon has never been anything but amiable to Baekhyun, not even after Junmyeon, upon being told of his father’s intentions to have him marry, had pulled her aside to make sure she knew what she was getting into if she agreed to a marriage with him. She had been understanding and had asked only for Junmyeon to show her the same courtesy if she ever fell in love. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun, likewise, has never shown the slightest hint of dislike towards Gahyeon. Junmyeon doesn’t know if they would consider each other friends, but he knows they have met for tea a couple of times – without him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” she says. She hesitates for only another minute before she gently strokes Baekhyun’s arm, steering clear of his injured hand. “It seems I did not hide my concerns well enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you,” Junmyeon says. “It is a relief to finally be able to do this. I missed it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I imagine,” Gahyeon says, smiling kindly. “Did Yixing have any guesses as to when he might wake up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon shakes his head. “All we can do is bide time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then bide it we shall,” Gahyeon says. She looks to Minseok, and the smile that stretches her lips is positively radiant. “Would you care to join us for an early lunch? If Junmyeon does not mind, of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I quite enjoy Minseok’s company,” Junmyeon says, a teasing edge to his voice as Minseok raises a brow at him. “And yours. Minseok, would you have some of the servants fetch lunch for us? And perhaps we need to relocate to my study, or we might come to regret not having done so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will see to it right away,” Minseok says, and does just that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon and Gahyeon share a fond look, and with a last glance at Baekhyun, Junmyeon sets about preparing for their lunch.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It is later that day, in the evening, when Junmyeon is reading out loud from the book in his lap, that he feels it. The gentlest squeeze of his hand, so faint that he might have missed it, were he not so aware of Baekhyun’s hand in his.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stills, breath caught somewhere in his throat, the book all but forgotten. “Baekhyun?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He is certain, this time, if he had been uncertain before (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he had, because it is not the first time he thinks he felt something</span>
  </em>
  <span>), that he feels a squeeze. He dares not squeeze back, Yixing’s warning repeating in his head. “Thank the Heavens. I was…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s breath hitches and he flinches, and Junmyeon wants so desperately to squeeze his hand in assurance, but instead he grasps it with both of his own, carefully, and presses his lips to the skin in a kiss. “Sssh, stay still. You hurt right now, I know, love, but I am here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will be all right, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon loses sense of time as he talks Baekhyun through an avalanche of sensations that culminates in a panic attack. He thinks it has been less than fifteen minutes by the time he has Baekhyun breathing with him and no longer trying to curl up or tear off the bandages. Hakyeon, bless his soul, barged into the room the moment Baekhyun’s struggles came to a volume loud enough to reach his ears, and he only needed a moment to take stock of the situation before he was by Junmyeon’s side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He went to have a servant fetch Yixing, and said he would be right outside if they needed him. Junmyeon appreciates having a moment alone with Baekhyn before Yixing comes and steals him away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m at the palace?” Baekhyun asks, and hearing him </span>
  <em>
    <span>speak</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even if his voice is slightly scratchy (he cried and yelled during the breakdown, which Junmyeon reckons is at least partially to blame for the current sad state of his throat), sends a rush of emotions through Junmyeon so powerful that he has trouble finding words for a second or thirty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” he eventually gets out and gently wipes away a stray tear from Baekhyun’s cheek. “Yes. Yes, you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun is quiet for so long that Junmyeon starts to get nervous, but then he asks in a small voice, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>How?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” and it almost breaks Junmyeon anew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The answer is on his tongue, but he swallows it in the last second and worries at his bottom lip instead. Baekhyun, he realises, and not without some dread, will be distraught to learn that Yifan is no longer in prison.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He forces himself to stop nipping at his lip lest it starts to bleed, and says, “Jongdae, with the help of Zitao, someone from the Royal Guard, and Minseok and the others, found out where they kept you three days ago. I sent Jongdae to get you, and he brought you here. This is…” He wets his lips. “You fell unconscious, but now you are awake.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He feels so much that he can barely contain it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun draws in a shuddering breath. “Why did you stop me from removing this – cloth?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It should have occurred to Junmyeon that he would have to answer questions upon Baekhyun’s awakening: The simple ones are not the reason his stomach twists with apprehension. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yixing said not to,” he says. “It’s… Your left eye will be fine, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But my right won’t be,” Baekhyun finishes for him, sounding frighteningly detached from everything. It is a sudden shift from before, and it is disconcerting. Junmyeon does not like it. “Will I not be able to see at all?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only your left eye,” Junmyeon says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All right,” Baekhyun says. Junmyeon longs to pull him into an embrace, but he is so scared of doing harm, physical or psychological, that he just sits awkwardly on the edge of the bed. “What else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Junmyeon asks, tentatively. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My hand hurts,” Baekhyun says. He is still eerily calm, and Junmyeon is starting to hope Yixing will be here fast. He doesn’t know if this is about to escalate into another bout of panic. “My head hurts. My body hurts, </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon is worrying at his lips again, but this time he has more pressing matters to worry about than the taste of blood. “Do you not remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon’s heart hurts, and the breath he lets out through his nose is too loud. “Yixing will be here soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun,” Junmyeon says, a little desperate, but he does not know what to say. Asking him if he is all right seems redundant because he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>all right, and he probably won’t be for a while, but he doesn’t think he can ask what is wrong, either (</span>
  <em>
    <span>so much is wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>). He is loathe to force Baekhyun to relive his memories of torture right now, but he so badly wants to know what happened so he knows how to help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just wants to hear Baekhyun’s voice and take comfort in knowing he’s here, that he may not be all right, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>be, and he is starting to absolutely abhor the tone of Baekhyun’s voice. It is too detached, too cold, and Junmyeon doesn’t know what it </span>
  <em>
    <span>means</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it does not bode well. It does not bode well at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He is saved from finding a safe topic by Yixing, whose presence is announced with a swift knock before he enters the room. Junmyeon backs off to give Yixing space and instead listens to all of Yixing’s questions – and particularly Baekhyun’s answers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How are you feeling? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Disoriented, nauseous, tired, weak, hurting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How are your hands? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Stiff, hurting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How is your head? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hurting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How are your eyes? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Are you hungry? </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t know. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you think you can eat? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Maybe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon jumps at the opportunity, needing a moment to himself. “I will get a servant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hakyeon straightens his back once Junmyeon has closed the doors behind him. “How is he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not certain,” Junmyeon says, pained. “He is not well, but… he is oddly closed off. I do not like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He will be all right, Your Grace,” Hakyeon soothes. “Baekhyun is strong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Junmyeon murmurs. “He is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sends a servant to fetch some food for Baekhyun – Junmyeon does not need Yixing telling him that it should be easily consumable – and then dithers for a while. He wonders if Baekhyun feels less comfortable with him in the room, and the thought hurts. It has to be an irrational concern, but it refuses to leave him alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hakyeon, as the guard who has been assigned to him the longest – albeit Junmyeon is not as close with him as some of the others – knows when Junmyeon is lost in thoughts, and Hakyeon, as always, does his best to either help him with possible solutions, or distractions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His aim is to distract this time, and Junmyeon’s shoulders slump in gratitude when Hakyeon casually offers, “Taekwoon told me his niece took her first steps yesterday. I haven’t seen him this happy since the time he lured one of the stable cats all the way back home and it stuck around.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember that,” Junmyeon says, smiling at the memory of Taekwoon showing up to relieve Kyungsoo one morning with a small cat at his feet. Taekwoon had sheepishly explained that it snuck out somehow after he left home and tracked him down, and by then it had refused to go back. Taekwoon, ever the bleeding heart, had admitted defeat and allowed it with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was adorable,” he says. “What did he name it, again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Byeol,” Hakyeon says, and snorts. “At least she has learned that when Taekwoon is on duty, she is to stay at home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon shakes his head fondly and chuckles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hakyeon indulges him until he feels strong enough to go back into the room with Baekhyun. He thanks Hakyeon, knowing Hakyeon will understand, and draws a breath before he enters the room once more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun is sitting up in the bed with a pillow propped up behind him to support his back (he seems to be leaning away from it, however, which could be due to the wounds; Junmyeon will have to ask). The unbandaged hand is in his lap across the covers; the other Yixing has between his palms. Yixing’s eyes are glazed over, which tends to mean he is doing something that requires his Gifts. Baekhyun’s head shifts minutely upon hearing the doors slide open to admit Junmyeon, and Junmyeon is reminded that Baekhyun has no chance of knowing what is happening around him because he cannot </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The servants will be around with food for you soon,” Junmyeon murmurs. Yixing only needs silence when he has to focus hard on something, but Junmyeon does not want to risk distracting him even if he’s pretty sure this is just a regular check-up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun dips his head in appreciation, but says nothing. Junmyeon comes to stand by the foot of the bed and watches in silence for a while. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you faring any better?” he eventually asks, to which Baekhyun merely shrugs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time, Junmyeon stays mute until Yixing releases Baekhyun’s hand and draws back, eyes blinking rapidly as they refocus. “Yixing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He is healing well,” Yixing says and gets up from the chair. “I believe we can take off the bandages by morning tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Junmyeon says, smiling with relief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you would come with me for a moment, Your Grace,” Yixing says and sends him a look followed by a nod towards the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. I will be with you in a moment, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon says and follows Yixing out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing gestures for him to go to the farthest corner of the next room, the furthest they can get from the door to Baekhyun’s room. Junmyeon realises that what Yixing has to say must be sensitive. Hakyeon, as well, if the questioning look he throws the two of them means anything. Yixing notices and just juts his chin at Junmyeon: It is up to him whether he sends Hakyeon out or not, he supposes, and shrugs back at Hakyeon, who nods once and stays.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am worried,” Yixing says, and Junmyeon tilts his head in concern. “He does not want to talk about what happened during his captivity, which is not uncommon for victims of torture. I believe he is trying to cope with this by locking away his emotions. He is quite clearly traumatised, and it will be a battle and a half to see this through with him. Something we say or do might set him off, but at the present time we do not know what those triggers might be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon takes it all in, but he is still stuck on what Yixing said in the beginning. “You do not often worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My talk with him leaves me concerned for his mental health.” Yixing offers a shrug and sighs, eyes closing briefly. “However, it is still too early to tell for certain. We will have to watch him closely these coming days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing continues, “I think he wants us to treat him no differently than we used to, but it will be hard not to. He will probably come to realise that, as well, but at the same time it is vital that you are not </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>careful with him. He needs stability and care. We must reconsider how we treat him, but we must also keep in mind that he most likely just wants to return to his normal life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand,” Junmyeon murmurs. “Was there anything else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Yixing says, and hesitates. “His Gift. He says he cannot get a hold of it, but he refused to tell me if it might have been something they did specifically or due to his trauma.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it gone for good?” Junmyeon frowns, troubled by this piece of information. “Is that even possible?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing shrugs, again, which tells Junmyeon just how helpless Yixing feels: Yixing is always confident in what he does and says, so to see him like this is weird and concerning (and it reminds him of sitting at his father’s deathbed and Yixing reluctantly admitting defeat to a malady that would not be conquered by his Gifts). “I have never heard of someone losing their Gifts, but I was told of the Null. If he or she did something…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We won’t know before Baekhyun is willing to talk,” Junmyeon concludes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed, Your Grace,” Yixing says. “Now, I will be close by should something set him off again, but otherwise I will pay him a visit tomorrow morning. Ah, and he asked me if I knew anything about his family. I told him they are well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Yixing,” Junmyeon says, and Yixing’s cheek dimples before he turns on his heels and leaves. Junmyeon shares a look with Hakyeon before he returns to Baekhyun’s room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is me,” Junmyeon announces when Baekhyun’s reaction to him opening the door is sitting up straight and highly alert. At least Junmyeon’s voice calms him enough to sink back against the backrest – which he appears to regret by the grimace on his face, but he does not move much besides. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you tell me the truth now?” Baekhyun asks, and Junmyeon briefly falters in the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The truth?” he repeats, bewildered, and slowly lowers himself into the chair that Yixing had occupied earlier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How I ended up here,” Baekhyun says. “I…” Junmyeon may not be able to see his eyes, but the way his mouth tightens is enough. “I know they wanted you to release the man that almost killed you. I remember glimpses of a forested area and I remember being shifted from someone’s arms into Jongdae’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see,” Junmyeon says quietly. “I apologise. I did not… I did not know how you would react.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you let him go?” Baekhyun asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” Junmyeon says. “I could not lose you. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot </span>
  </em>
  <span>lose you. I would have given them anything they wanted to see you again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun laughs, and it is not a pleasant sound. It is choked with emotions, but Junmyeon supposes it is an improvement in and of itself for Baekhyun to react at all. “Jun – </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He’s not – He’ll be back for you. I don’t –”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sssh,” Junmyeon says, and closes his hand around Baekhyun’s. Baekhyun flinches at the touch, but does not pull away. “I will be fine. Minseok is arranging for me to have another guard for protection, Wonshik is out looking for traces of them together with a group of his soldiers, and Jongdae has sent a tail after Wu. Still, we do not think he intends to make a move in the near future. It will be all right, my love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Baekhyun says, and it is almost a sob. “Because of me, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard </span>
  </em>
  <span>is out there –” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun,” Junmyeon says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you don’t realise how </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span> I was when Jongdae showed up and told me how close he had come to actually killing you.” He is crying now, a single tear slipping through the bandages and sliding down his cheek. “When they finally found him and apprehended him, I was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>relieved</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but now no one knows where he is and it’s just a question of time before he’ll come back to – to kill you –”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Love, may I hold you?” Junmyeon asks, or begs, because it is all he can think about now, but he remembers Yixing’s cautions and Baekhyun’s reaction to his touch, and he doesn’t want to cause undue stress if he can help it. Fortunately, Baekhyun nods, and Junmyeon, relieved beyond words, sits on the bed instead so he can pull Baekhyun into an embrace, mindful of the wounds on his back and his ribs. Baekhyun melts against him, his arms winding around Junmyeon’s neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the Heavens, the fear that he would never again be able to hold Baekhyun still haunts him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We will be fine, I promise,” he says, Baekhyun’s hair tickling his lips. “I have you back with me. You were in their possession for a week, and I was distraught, Baekhyun. If the consequences of getting you back are another guard and another threat on my life, that is a trade I am willing to make. I would have never been able to forgive myself if I had let them kill you just because I would not hand over Wu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You could have gone behind their back,” Baekhyun says. “You didn’t have to give in to their demands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did,” Junmyeon says. “If I had done </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make them suspicious of me, they would have retracted the offer and I might never have seen you again. Trust me on this one, please. I did what I had to do, the only thing I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>do. It was the safest option, for you and for everyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But not for you,” Baekhyun mutters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A king must always think of his people before he thinks of himself,” Junmyeon says, the words ingrained in him from years of his father – and his grandmother – telling him the same thing when he voiced his complaints. “Worry not, Baekhyun. If all goes well, we will detain him and his accomplices before he can even step foot towards me. Jongdae sent someone – ah, Zitao, do you remember? He sent Zitao after them once he had you. He is a Null, so they will not –”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s entire body shudders, and Junmyeon instinctively holds him a little tighter; as tight as he can without causing pain. “Are you all right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There was a Null,” he whispers. “During –”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun cuts himself off abruptly, and when he has said nothing for a while, Junmyeon quietly asks, “The Null was with you when they..?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we not talk about it now?” Baekhyun implores. “Please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All right,” Junmyeon murmurs. “We will talk about something else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No talking,” Baekhyun says. “Just… I just want to be like this for a bit. I still… I still feel like I’m dreaming, or…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon presses a kiss to the top of Baekhyun’s head. “I understand, love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun lets out a heavy breath of air and rests his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder. His nose is cold against his throat, but Junmyeon does not mind. He just holds Baekhyun tighter and thanks the Heavens for not taking this away from him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon assists Baekhyun with eating the vegetable stew Dokyun brought them, and not even an hour later, Baekhyun is fast asleep. Part of Junmyeon fears it will be another three days before he wakes up a second time, but he knows Yixing would have warned him if there were any risk of that happening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He still ends up dozing off in Baekhyun’s room, which he regrets when he wakes up at an undetermined time later with a crick in his neck and sore limbs – but then he realises that the reason he even woke up to begin with is the quiet whimpers coming from Baekhyun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ssh, my heart,” he whispers and leans over Baekhyun. He caresses Baekhyun’s forehead and brushes away strands of hair, and continues, “It is all right. You are safe. You are back at the palace. I am with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whimpers stop, but his forehead is still creased due to whatever unpleasant memory has crept into his dreams, so Junmyeon does not stop caressing him or whispering words of reassurance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It works, in the end, and Baekhyun’s sleep remains undisturbed for the rest of the night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The evening of Yifan’s arrest, Baekhyun had asked, “Why did he try to kill you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon still has no answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing arrives as promised in the morning. Hakyeon is relieved of duty shortly after by Jongdae, who has spoken with Chanyeol since Junmyeon shared with him his intentions of assigning guards to Baekhyun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He is expecting your summons,” Jongdae says, and Junmyeon nods thoughtfully. Yixing is tending to Baekhyun, who is still sleeping, so Junmyeon figures he might as well make use of the time and see Chanyeol immediately. He tells Yixing that he will be back a little later and to assure Baekhyun if he asks for him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae takes him to the training grounds and leaves Junmyeon by the edge of it to fetch Chanyeol, so Junmyeon spends the time observing the men and women going about their routines. Some are polishing armour, others are tending to their horses, and others yet are sparring. A couple in particular have drawn a small audience with their sparring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time he notices Jongdae and Chanyeol approaching, the woman has gotten the upper hand in the duel and won, and is helping the man get back on his feet. They are both laughing. It reminds Junmyeon of a time before Baekhyun became his Chosen: Baekhyun had suggested sparring, so they did, and Junmyeon had only won by default as they were too busy trying to cheat and laughing to actually do much with their training swords. Junmyeon cherishes that memory, especially these days when Baekhyun still has yet to laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wonders when he will hear that again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your Grace,” Chanyeol greets as he comes closer. Jongdae is with him, but a few steps behind, giving the previously sparring couple a cursory glance. Junmyeon turns his body towards Chanyeol, who, once in front of him, comes to a halt and dips into a deep bow. “I am honoured. I admit I am curious as to how I may be of service. Jongdae failed to mention this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It pertains to my Chosen,” Junmyeon admits. “Take a walk with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I heard rumours that he woke up,” Chanyeol says and falls into step with Junmyeon, albeit he makes sure to never be in front of him. Jongdae flanks Junmyeon’s other side, a silent shadow. “Is this true?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Junmyeon says, and while he smiles, the worry still gnaws at him. “He woke yesterday evening.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They have left the training grounds behind them. Junmyeon does not have a specific route in mind, so he simply lets his feet take him wherever, which seems to be towards one of the palace gardens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is he well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smile turns to more of a grimace. “I am not yet certain. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>seems </span>
  </em>
  <span>all right, at least compared to what has happened, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I imagine the ordeal scarred him,” Chanyeol murmurs. Junmyeon dips his head in a nod. “I hope he improves soon, Sire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As do I.” Junmyeon sighs and takes them down a narrow path, which forces Jongdae to fall a step behind them. “Well, there is no reason for me to beat around the bush. I asked Jongdae if he might have any recommendations were I to assign guards to Baekhyun, and your name came up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me?” Chanyeol repeats, sounding quite taken aback. “Truly?” He glances over his shoulder at Jongdae. “What have I done to have earned that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae assured me you would be fit for the role,” Junmyeon says. “He tells me you are loyal, dedicated, and kind, which are three characteristics I require when it concerns my Chosen’s protection.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sire,” Chanyeol says, and he still sounds so astonished that Junmyeon decides to take pity on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have been with the Royal Guard for a couple of years, correct?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three years, Sire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon nods and continues, “Would you say that you have gained valuable insight and experience during these years?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Sire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you a good friend to those who consider you theirs?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Sire,” Chanyeol says. Junmyeon is pleased to note that he doesn’t hesitate when it comes to his answers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I have any reason at all to doubt your capabilities?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Sire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And, most importantly,” he says, keeping his voice low and eyes serious, “I can trust you to protect Baekhyun? When on duty, I will require of you that his safety comes before anything else. That,” he tacks on, “includes me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sire,” Chanyeol says, equally sombre, “if you entrust me with the protection of your Chosen, rest assured that I will protect him with my life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I pray it shall not come to that,” Junmyeon says, but the threat of Yifan has been at the back of his mind ever since he watched him be taken away by Jongdae. He knows not how Yifan plans to strike next – if he plans to at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you would forgive me for asking, Your Grace,” Chanyeol says, “I have not proven my worth to you. You are not asking me to be your Chosen’s guard without witnessing my capabilities for yourself?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon allows a small smile. He appreciates the scepticism. “Jongdae has been my guard long enough that I fully trust his judgment on anything pertaining to palace security. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span>, however, quite curious as to your Gift of Fire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you wish, I could show you some of what I am capable of,” Chanyeol says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would like that.” The garden opens up in front of them, and Junmyeon leads them down a cobblestoned path towards a fountain surrounded by blooming hibiscus shrubs and a couple of marble benches. “Would now be a good time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now is fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need space or will this suffice?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol offers a shrug. “Not really. I can make do with this.” His mouth splits into a toothy grin suddenly, wide and cheerful. “I should be able to avoid accidentally igniting any of the pretty flowers, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That would be appreciated,” Junmyeon says dryly. By his side, Jongdae snorts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon sits on one of the benches, and he tries to get Jongdae to sit down next to him, but Jongdae just grins and says he will partner up with Chanyeol. Junmyeon is not entirely sure what he means, but he supposes it has to do with their Gifts, and so prepares himself for a show.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol wields his Gift like someone born straight out of fire. He is one of the only persons Junmyeon has ever seen to appear so comfortable with his Gift. Jongdae is another example, but still there is a different air around Jongdae when he slings crackling Lightning around him. The Fire burns bright in Chanyeol’s hands, and it reflects in Chanyeol’s eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae eventually moves to a spot a few paces in front of Chanyeol. He falls into a defensive stance, and a few moments later, Chanyeol hurls a ball of Fire straight at him. Jongdae easily dodges it, and the Fire vanishes into the air before it can do harm to any of the surrounding shrubs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What follows is a truly magnificent display of two so volatile Gifts, wielded so skillfully by the two of them. The crack of Lightning, the sizzling of Fire, the vibrant colours; Junmyeon is awed. It is almost like a dance, and Junmyeon soon realises it must be something they have rehearsed many times over for it to be so seamless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae confirms this when, at last, the Lightning in his hands gently fizzles out and they take a step away from each other, their chests heaving with the effort of controlling their Gifts. “This is the first time nothing in vicinity burned.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol immediately sweeps in to say, “He lies. It has been at least a year since that last incident.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae laughs, and Junmyeon is helpless to stop his own chuckles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He has spectacular control,” Jongdae says, a smile still playing on his lips. “What you saw should make that clear. He uses it for fun now. Rest assured that, should he need it in a fight, he will carefully and precisely steer it to his enemies with no harm to his allies or the surroundings. The same can be said about his weaponry skills.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will give me a big head if you continue,” Chanyeol says, to which Jongdae just throws him a pointed look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your head is big enough as it is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol gasps in affront.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chanyeol,” Junmyeon says, getting them back on track although he enjoys their banter, “this proposition is not one you need to decide on here and now. Baekhyun is on bed rest still, and will be for possibly another week, I believe, so you have until then to get back to me. Should you wish to meet Baekhyun first, I can arrange for it once he is well enough to have visitors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol looks pensively at Junmyeon, and perhaps a bit sheepishly. “The yes is on my tongue, but perhaps your Chosen might want to meet </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>first? Perhaps he will not like me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is fair,” Junmyeon concedes. “I will count you in, but your duties will remain the same until you have had the chance to meet Baekhyun. If, by then, both of you approve of the arrangement, we will discuss your new responsibilities.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol stands straight and bows. “I understand, Sire. I shall look forward to your summons.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As shall I.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon is back in Baekhyun’s room an hour after he left. In the meantime, Baekhyun has roused and Yixing is still tending to him. Gahyeon is sitting at the foot of the bed, smiling softly as she talks with Baekhyun, but trails off when she turns to look towards the door upon Junmyeon’s arrival. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s head shifts minutely towards Junmyeon, or towards the noises he makes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am back,” Junmyeon states, if only for Baekhyun’s sake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gahyeon offers him a lovely smile, Yixing hums, and Baekhyun… says nothing and does nothing, which Junmyeon does not entirely know how to interpret. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He suspects some of Baekhyun’s trauma has to do with him, and if that is so, Junmyeon will figure out what it is and deal with it accordingly. If Baekhyun needs space, he will give him space. If he needs love, Junmyeon will smother him with it. Junmyeon will do whatever it takes to see Baekhyun happy again, even if that means spending less time with him than he hoped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first obstacle on the road to Baekhyun’s recovery is getting him to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>speak</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Junmyeon almost does not care to whom Baekhyun will open up so long as he does. He hopes Baekhyun will choose him, but this behaviour is slowly crushing that hope to dust.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun is recovering well,” Yixing says. “I recommend bed rest for at least another week, after which he may slowly return to his responsibilities. He must be careful, however, as his body still requires rest to recover from the injuries and the Healing, and his hand will remain splinted for about two weeks. The blood loss he suffered might also still affect him, so no overexertion until the splinter is off. He will possibly have bouts of exhaustion and an inability to remain focused for long times. I will come by tomorrow to check the eyes. I reckon the bandages can come off in a couple of days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Yixing,” Junmyeon says, “for your concern and help. I appreciate it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing allows a smile and gets up. “Always, Your Grace.” He turns to look at Baekhyun. “Heed my advice and you will be right as rain in no time.” To the room at large, he says, “I shall take my leave now. Good day to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With Yixing gone, Junmyeon takes the chair he vacated at the bedside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought it was due time I paid a visit,” Gahyeon says; Junmyeon would not put it past her to have taken note of the odd tension that hangs between him and Baekhyun. “I hoped he would be all right to have visitors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am perfectly capable of seeing other people,” Baekhyun says, but it is with an undertone of something Junmyeon cannot grasp. Gahyeon looks towards Junmyeon and offers him an encouraging smile. “When will I get to see my family?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Once they know you are awake, I am sure,” Junmyeon says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Later today, then,” Baekhyun says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe so,” Junmyeon says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were just talking about them when you returned, Junmyeon,” Gahyeon says, a small smile still stretching her lips. The look in her eyes is slightly wary, which only confirms Junmyeon’s theory: She senses something is off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They will be happy to know you are awake, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon says. “They missed you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I, them,” Baekhyun says and breathes out a little sigh. “I did… I didn’t know what happened to them after they got me. I was so afraid.” His head tilts slightly to the side. “Where are they staying now? I heard our house – I heard it’s gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Oh graciously offered his own estate while they wait for me to find a suitable new home for them,” Junmyeon says. “He is away on business at his other estate outside of the capital and will be gone for a few weeks, so his youngest stayed behind to run the remaining household and help your family settle in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You?” Baekhyun says, the bewilderment betrayed in his tone of voice. “Why would you do that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are his Chosen,” Gahyeon says kindly. “Of course he sees to your family’s needs, as well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I approached them about it already in our first year together,” Junmyeon admits. “They humbly declined my offer of moving somewhere grander on account of not having the funds.” Baekhyun’s sister later disclosed that their parents had declined because they feared suddenly standing without a home if he lost interest in Baekhyun. He had brought it up a year later, thinking they might have changed their mind now that they knew he was serious about Baekhyun, but they had once more declined, and he had decided to leave it at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t know.” Baekhyun sounds thoughtful. “I wonder why they would not tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think they care too much about you to wish that burden on your shoulders,” Gahyeon says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun huffs. “What, the burden of knowing this country’s king had offered them something above their standing because of me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were still learning each other’s tells and quirks,” Junmyeon says, a fond smile tugging his lips upwards at the memories. “Knowing I was serious about our relationship this early on might have scared you off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not likely,” Baekhyun says, even snorts, and if his hand were not splinted, his eyes not bandaged, the curl of his lips not slightly off – this could almost be any other day before all of this happened. If Minseok were here instead of attending some thing or the other, and they were in either Junmyeon or Gahyeon’s quarters instead of Yixing’s, it would be as close to normal as it could possibly get.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I do not think that is it either,” Gahyeon says, and she sounds just cheeky enough for Junmyeon to realise the jest that follows, “If anything, his tendency to drone on and on about taxes or Minister Daehyun’s wife’s poor attempts at seducing him at every social function she is invited to might and </span>
  <em>
    <span>does </span>
  </em>
  <span>scare off anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not anyone,” Baekhyun says sagely, “only those who aren’t afraid to tell Junmyeon to shut up or simply leave him with no one to vent to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am too benevolent in my rule,” Junmyeon muses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not to worry,” says Gahyeon cheerfully. “That is why you have me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is rather entertaining to watch you scramble every time you glimpse Minister Daehyun’s wife, and it is even more entertaining seeing you try to politely end any conversation with her,” Baekhyun says. “Particularly because she never seems to </span>
  <em>
    <span>get</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you were supposed to keep suitors away from me,” Junmyeon says, and it is not a whine. It is not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only if they are an actual threat,” Baekhyun says. “She is not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junmyeon does not yet know what causes the shadows to banish the smiles from Baekhyun’s face, or his voice to turn monotone, or his body to suddenly go taut – but at this very moment, Baekhyun’s soft laughter and their banter, even if it is mostly at Junmyeon’s expenses, fill him with hope.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They will be all right.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lovely readers! Thank you for reading this fic of mine. Unfortunately due to work (and games and real life and general laziness, I’m sorry), I was unable to quite finish this fic in time – hence here you have Part 1. Part 2 is… underway. Hopefully it won’t be too long until I can actually mark this as finished, lol.</p>
<p>I took some time off writing (see aforementioned games) for basically a few years only to return and realise that I’ve gotten even more wordy. What do I mean? I mean I expected this fic to be, eh, 10.000 words or so, but… hahaha. Well, uh. It’s looking to be closer to 30.000 (which isn’t actually the worst estimation I’ve gotten wrong recently sobs), and I blame the fact that in the plotting phase, I was like, “Okay. Baekhyun is kidnapped. Why?” because I’m me and I love angst and some plot, so of course I wanted some focus on the kidnapping part and not just the aftermath. This resulted in an almost-assassination of Junmyeon, which… derailed this fic a bit, because now I feel obligated to not leave too many questions unanswered.</p>
<p>Why do I do this to myself. Sigh.<br/>Aaaaanyway - Prompter, I hope you’re pleased with the outcome thus far, and will wait patiently while I kick myself into gear and finish the rest! When I saw your prompt amongst the many others, I was sold instantly. I’ve got a spine like a cooked noodle when it comes to these kinds of stories.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're happy to reveal that the writer of <span class="u">King's Chosen</span> is <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nathalaia/">Nathalaia</a>. Please go give their other works a read!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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